A Systematic Review of Continuity of care and its role in patient satisfaction and decreased hospital admissions in the adult patient receiving home care services.

Abstract

Review question/objective The overall objective of this systematic review is to determine the best available evidence related to the effectiveness of continuity of care interventions on patient outcomes. The specific review questions to be asked are: - What continuity of care interventions are most effective in improving patient satisfaction in adult patients receiving home care services? - What continuity of care interventions are most effective in reducing all-cause hospital readmission rates among adults receiving home care services? Inclusion Criteria Types of participants The review will consider studies that include all adults, male and female (aged 18 years old and above) receiving home care services, regardless of diagnosis, stage or severity of disease, co-morbidities, and previous treatment received. Types of interventions/phenomena of interest This review will consider studies that evaluate all models/types of interventions for continuity of care of adult patients delivered by registered nurses in home care settings. Comparator: no intervention Types of outcome measures This review will consider studies that include the following outcome measure, but not limited to: - All-cause hospital readmissions measured as patients who experience an unplanned admission to the same hospital, a different hospital, or another acute care facility for the same diagnosis or for a different diagnosis. - Patient satisfaction measured by patient self-report.C-96FD